Handling of persons requesting appeal can be quick and complete in most cases if you allow the person to say all he wishes to say in the very beginning.
Many times the appeal is not to refute a wrong finding by a Comm Ev or a Board of Investigation, but a protest at the harshness or imagined unfairness in the way the finding was presented.
This person has had much to say on the matter he is appealing for some time. He has been, or feels he has been wronged. No one has yet gotten what he has communicated about it.
Now, he’s found, or has been directed to the right terminal. For goodness sake, LET HIM TALK! If he needs some prompting in the beginning, prompt him. Don’t enter a hint of an arbitrary or an additive to what he is relaying to you. If you do, you’ll end up with a guy who wants you to “do something about” every wrong that was ever done to him.
So, let him talk until he has told you everything that has been bugging him about the matter for goodness knows how long.
Then,
1. ACKNOWLEDGE WHAT HE HAS SAID. Let him know you understood it all.
2. ACKNOWLEDGE WHAT HE DID THAT WAS RIGHT. Regardless of what he is appealing, what kind of a mess he got himself into, you’ll find that he did do something right!
3. Acknowledge anyone else in the matter that was also right, with his agreement.
4. If he is satisfied, end the cycle.
Example:
1. “Thank you.”
2. “Well, you were trying to do your job, weren’t you!”
3. “Do you think he/she was trying to do his/her job also?” (Get his agreement as well as the agreement of the other members of the Board.)
4. “A copy of the minutes of this meeting/interview will go into your Ethics file. I don’t think any further action need be taken on this matter.” (Get agreement from him on this, too.)
This will usually be the end of it. He will be satisfied that he finally communicated what he had to say to the right terminal.
That, alone, is usually all that was needed in the first place.
Handle as above (utilizing 3rd Party Technology where needed) any person who feels that Ron is mad or upset with him—or was earlier and it wasn’t handled terminatedly.
A broad invitation to get it handled should be issued so that those who feel this may bring it in and be heard. No such situation should needlessly persist.